Rotary barrel gun



mg. 26, 1946! J. A. E. MARTINEAU ROTARY BARREL GUN 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed April 8, .1944

J. A. E. MARTINEAU ROTARY BARREL GUN' Filed April 8, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Aug. 20, 1946 ROTARY BARREL GUN Joseph Albert-Euciide Martineau, Penticton, British Columbia, Canada Application April 8, 1944, Serial No. 530,100

,7 In Canada April 24, 1943 9 Claims.

The present invention pertains to a novel gun and has for its object, the provision of a gun that spins th bullet without rifling in the bore.

One of the objections to riding is the cost of the mechanical work involved. Also, the rifiing wears down in time by friction with the bullet. The function, on the other hand, retards the bullet.

These objections are avoided, in the construction herein described, by a means for rotating the gun barrel. The rotation is accomplished by means of a turbine rotor attached to the barrel and driven by the gas liberated on explosion of the cartridge. The turbine is built and assembled compactly around the magazine.

Another characteristic of the invention is that successive shots increase the angular velocity of the barrel and hence of the spinning. No such cumulative eiiect results from the usual helicoidal rifling groove.

The invention is fully disclosed by way of eX- ample in the following description and in the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure l is a partial longitudinal section of the barrel;

Figure 2 and 3 are sections on the lines 2--2 and '33 of Figure 1;

Figure' l is an end View of the barrel;

Figure 5 is a longitudinal section on line 5-5 of Figure 8 of another portion of the barrel and u Figure 6 is a section on the line 6-6 of Figure 5;

Figure 7 is an elevation of one of the rotating blocks;

Figure 8 is a cross section of the gun on line 88 of Figure 5;

Figures 9, 10 and 11 are respectively end view of the barrel, perspective View of one of the blades, and an elevation of the rotor disk;

Figure 12 is a side elevation of the gun;

' Figure 13 is a section on the line I3I3 of Figure 5, and

- Figure 14 is a detail section of the valve on line I4l4 of Figure 13.

Reference to these views will now be made by use of like characters which are employed to designate corresponding parts throughout.

In Figure 1 is shown, the casing l of the gun, in which is rotatably mounted the barrel 2 in bearing 3. Several such bearings may be provided, as shown in Figures 1 and 5. The bearings are finned at 4 (Figure 3) for radiation. Likewise the casing I is slotted lengthwise at 5 for cooling.

., at i8 near the center.

The-casing is extended at 6 and similarly the barrel 2 is extended at l. The extension 1 is preferably formed with ribs or fins 8 engaging the extension 6. The extension I prolongsthe path of the bullet and thus trues its course.

The outer end of barrel 2 i knurled at 9 (Figure '7) to receive a rotor disk ll) (Figure 11) which has its inner circumference knurled at H. At opposite sides of the rotor are stator plates I2 and i3, the former being mounted on the barrel 2 and the latter havinga rearward breech extension i providing a firing chamber. The plate 53 is threaded at i5 on its periphery for threading into a ring l6 surrounding the rotor Iii and holding the plate l2, as shown in Figure 5. The stator further includes a ring I! enclosing the rotor E0.

The plates l2 and it are grooved eccentrically The rotor ID has four radial slot it (Figure 11) in which are received slidable blades 20 (Figure 10). One end of each blade has outwardly extending fins 2| received in the cam slots I 8 respectively. The ring [1 is grooved interiorly at 22 (Figure 8) opposite the protruding part of the cam grooves I8 to permit the corresponding outward movement of the blades 20 while the rotor is actuated in a'manner presently to be described.

From the bore of the breech extension M extends a radial port 23 (Figure 13) on which is seated a valve 24. A chamber 25 formed in the stator disk [3 communicates with the interior of the firing chamber when the valveis opened. The motive fluid for actuating the rotor is the gas liberated by the explosion of a cartridge 26 in the firing chamber. A port 21 in the disk I 3 connects the chamber 25 with the spaces between the blades 20 of the rotor it at one end of the groove 22.

The cam grooves l8 hold the blades 20 against the inner edge of the ring ll, except at the intake and exhaust, as shown in Figure 8. Thus, the pressure gas admitted through port 27 turns the rotor clockwise. Communicating with the other end of the groove 22 is an exhaust port 28 formed inthe plate 13 and registering with a port 29 in a tube 39 accommodating the turbine and other parts. It will be noted that the intake port 27 has an angular branch 3| which directs the pressure fluid in a tangential path into the turbine for greater efficiency.

The gas from the exploded cartridge is also permitted to escape through a port 32 (Figure 5) in the stator plate 13, to which is attached a tube 33. This tube forms part of a device for expelling wardly extending fins 36 for radiation. The block is surrounded by a split spring ring 3! to prevent leakage of gas from the turbine. The casing I is provided with a handle 38 (Figure 12) by which the gun may be held and steadied. The enlargement 3 is enclosed in a tube 39 held by a set 15 screw 40. A pin 4| extending from the enlargement into a slot 12 in the tube 39 completes the enclosure.

The admission of gas from the chamber M to the rotor and the operation of the latter have 20 already been described. The valve 24 on the intake port 23 is normally held closed by a rocker arm 43 (Figure 14) under the influence of a spring 44. The explosion pressure opens the valve against the spring, and the valve closes immedi- 5 ately afterward.

The rotor it], being splined on the barrel 2, turns the barrel in its bearings 3. The bullet head 45 travelling through the barrel 2 is thus rotated without the use of rifiing or helicoidal grooves in 3 the barrel. After the first shot, the rotational speed of the barrel increases with each succeeding shot, thus creating a cumulative efiect which is not possible with ordinary rifiing. In the operation the slidable blades 20 are operated by fins 2| received in cam groove l8. I'he expanding gases admitted through port 21 turns the rotor clockwise. When needed, the loading mechanism (not shown) may be made towork at various speeds or not at all by screwing up the cranked 40 screw 34 which obstructs more or less port 32. The invention also eliminates the usual drawbacks of helicoidal grooves, such as their cost, wear by friction with the bullet head, and retardation of the bullet head because of such friction.

Although a specific embodiment of the inven; tion has been illustrated and described, it will be understood that various alterations in thedetails of construction may be made without departing from the scope of the invention as indicated by the appended claims.

What I claim as my invention is: 1 1. In a gun, a casing, a barrel rotatably mounted therein, a rearward breech extension for the barrel, said extension providing a firing chamber,

a rotor fixed to said barrel, and means for communicating gas from said chamber-to said rotor to actuate the latter. a

2 In a gun, a casing, a barrel rotatably mounted therein, a rearward breech extension for the barrel, said extension providing a firing chamber, a pair of stator disks in said casing, a rotor between said disks and secured to said barrel, and a connection for fluid from said chamber to the space between said disks for actuating said rotor,

3. In a gun, a casing, a barrel rotatably mount: ed therein, a rearward breech extension for the When only one 5 4 barrel, said extension providing a firing chamber, a pair of stator disks in said casing, a rotor between said disks and secured to said barrel, radial blades slidably mounted in said rotor, means in said disks for sliding said blades, and a connection for fiuid from said chamber to the space between said disks for actuating said rotor.

4. In a gun, a casing, a barrel rotatably mounted therein, a rearward breech extension for the barrel, said extension providing a firing chamber, a pair of stator disks in said casing, a rotor between said disks and secured to said barrel, radial blades slidably mounted in said rotor, said disks having eccentric grooves facing each other, fins extending from said blades into said grooves, and a connection for fluid from said chamber to the space between said disks for actuating said rotor.

5. In a gun, a casing, a barrel rotatably mounted therein, a rearward breech extension for the barrel, said extension providing a firing chamber, a rotor fixed to said barrel, means forcommunieating gas from said chamber to said rotor to actuate the latter, a block adjacent to said rotor, and cooling fins extending from said block.

6. In a gun, a casing, a barrel rotatably mounted therein, a rearward breech extension for the barrel, said extension providing a firing chamber,

a pair of stator disks in said casing, a rotor between said disks and secured to said barrel, a connection for fluid from said chamber to the space between said disks for actuating said rotor, a block adjacent to one of said disks, and cooling fins extending from-said block. 7

'7. In a gun, a casing, a barrel rotatably mounted therein, a rearward breech extension for the barrel, said extension providing a firing chamber, a rotor fixed to said barrel, a pair of stator disks in said casing, a rotor between said disks and secured to said barrel, one of said disks having a chamber and an inlet connecting said chamber to said rotor, said disk having an exhaust port connected to said rotor.

8. In a gun, a casing, a barrel rotatably mount--- ed. therein, a rearward breech extension for the barrel, said extension providing a firing chamber, a rotor fixed'to said barrel, a pair of stator disks in said casing, a rotor between said disks and secured to said barrel, radial blades slidably mounted in said rotor, means in said disks for sliding said blades, one of said disks having a chamber and an inlet connecting said chamber to said rotor, said disk-having an exhaust port connected to said rotor.

9. In a gun, a casing, a barrel rotatably mounted therein, a rearward breech extension for the barrel, said extension providing a firing chamber, a pair of stator disks in said casing, a rotor between said disks and secured to said barrel, radial blades slidably mounted. in said rotor, means in said disks for sliding said blades, one of said disks having a chamberand an inlet connecting said chamber to said rotor, saiddisk having an exhaust port connected to said rotor, a block adja--v cent to one of said disks, and cooling fins extending from said blocks.

JOSEPH ALBERT EUCLIDE MARTINEAU. 

